Thief steals Torah scroll from synagogue

This is the shocking moment a thief steals a large Torah scroll as well as other religious items from a Jewish centre in New York State. The incident happened in the city of Yonkers, local police are investigating the burglary which they said occurred in the Lincoln Park Jewish Center on Friday, 25th September. The Torah scrolls are handwritten copies of the Torah, which are the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). It has to be produced to strict standards and is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish prayers. When not being read from, it needs to be kept in the holiest spot within a synagogue, known as the Torah ark, in this case it was kept behind an ornate curtained-off cabinet of a section of the building that most closely faces Jerusalem, the direction Jews face when praying. Police said: "A large Torah scroll was taken in addition to miscellaneous items. "Surveillance video inside and outside the location captured the event: a suspect is seen both entering and leaving the synagogue (after a change of clothes). "The Yonkers Police Department is endeavoring to identify the suspect and return the Torah to its rightful place. "Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspect, who is believed to be local, or the location of the Torah is asked to contact Yonkers Police detectives at (914) 377-7724."